A circus killer clown who was set to perform in Bristol next week has been SACKED for being too scary.

The Circus of Horrors attraction, which takes place at Durdham Downs in Clifton on October 14, will NOT feature Rellik the Psycho Clown, after the touring group deemed his character too terrifying for audiences.

Doug Child, the man behind the mask, says he has been told to tone down his fear factor, create a new character – or look for a different career path altogether.

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The 40-year-old first performed as a killer clown two years ago and is believed by many people to have been the originator of the craze that shocked the UK last year.

But as Halloween looms and interest in killer clowns peaks, the Circus of Horrors – which made it to the final of Britain’s Got Talent in 2011 – has made a shocking and unexpected decision.

Circus of Horrors is coming to Bristol.

Speaking to the Mirror, Circus of Horrors creator Dr Haze said: "Our philosophy has always been that people like to be scared and not be harmed but with last year's Killer Klown outbreak people began to fear that they would be harmed.

"Stephen Kings 'IT' is a different thing; it is clearly a movie and Pennywise isn't going to jump out of the screen, whereas our Killer Klown could.

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"With another copycat killer clown outbreak expected this Halloween, we decided to go down a different route to create a scare that wouldn't put people off coming."

The world-renowned circus first took to the road more than 22 years ago and has given audiences all over the world a taste of its wonderfully macabre brand of entertainment.

The Circus of Horrors stormed into the finals of Britain's Got Talent (Image: Southport Visiter)

Its newest incarnation, Voodoo, features an amalgamation of bizarre and fantastic circus acts all woven into a sensational horror story, along with the darkest of magic, and it will serve up a jaw-dropping treat in Bristol next week.

But the dismissal has left a sour taste in the mouth of Doug, who said: "I am devastated, I have work in the FearFestival in Chepstow for Halloween but then that's it.